Reterritorialising the Caribbean: Marching alongside Earl Lovelace
This study revolves around the figure of Caribbean writer Earl Lovelace. The thesis demonstrates that the emphasis on the deterritorialisation of the Caribbean region and the focus on transnationalism has meant that what is produced within its geographical boundaries is sidelined in favour of what i...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2015 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | CBUC, CESCA |
| Repositorio: | TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/295842 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10803/295842 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Lovelace, Earl, 1935- Carib (Regió) Caribe (Región) Caribbean region Escriptors en llengua anglesa Escritores en lengua inglesa English-language authors Ciències Humanes i Socials 82 |
| Sumario: | This study revolves around the figure of Caribbean writer Earl Lovelace. The thesis demonstrates that the emphasis on the deterritorialisation of the Caribbean region and the focus on transnationalism has meant that what is produced within its geographical boundaries is sidelined in favour of what is produced beyond them. The study argues that even though Western academia holds transnationalism as the most appropriate and encompassing approach to deal with Caribbean literature, its applicability is limited to those writings produced in metropolitan spaces. In fact, due to the transnational nature of the Caribbean region itself, it is possible to see the Caribbean as both an intercultural and transcultural space and to recognise that the nation-state is a reality. The figure of Trinidadian writer Earl Lovelace serves to reclaim the importance of Caribbean-based narratives. Lovelace’s alternative journey distinguishes him from the majority of West Indian writers. To start with, he has made the extremely political choice of staying in Trinidad and has thus rejected the pull towards migrating, which is still a staple for the West Indian artist. However, his choice is not without consequences. Because of his decision to stay in the region he has been labelled a regional and national writer, since his work is not tailored for a Western readership and offers context-based narratives in which Creole language is present. As a result, his writings have been excluded from the mainstream postcolonial literary field. This thesis foregrounds Lovelace’s writings as an extremely important intervention in the Caribbean, as they prove that the Caribbean nation is also a place where people can build a life. In his writings Lovelace contests the representations which establish the perceived impossibility of residing in the Caribbean and the pervading idea of the region as a non-place populated by non-people who have created nothing – a construct which ultimately contributes to maintaining the region dependant on Western approval and tutelage. Like many other West Indian creative writers, Lovelace has theorised on Caribbean culture and literature. Aware of the historic roots of the ills of the region but optimistic about the possibilities of constructing a new culture, he has emphasised that the heterogeneity of the region is its most enriching characteristic and one that allows for the creation of a new future together. Lovelace has argued that the diverse and heterogeneous nature of the region, as its real heritage, not only needs to be valued, but it needs to be seen as a precondition which allows for the creation of a New World. While the Trinidadian author argues that the construction of a New World for the region can only be accomplished through the collective involvement of the different communities, this study argues that in order to reverse the trend that sidelines non-diasporic Caribbean writing, a similar collective endeavour is needed. This collective endeavour includes a variety of cultural agents: writers, intellectuals, activists, publishers, critics, scholars and translators alike. Indeed, ethically and politically motivated translations of West Indian literary texts can also participate in the critical network that contributes to the collective dimension of social struggles. Through their artistic renditions of a source text, literary translators can help spread these narratives’ symbolic force. |
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